1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cover assembly for a multi-purpose, mobile, utility cart, commonly known as a xe2x80x9ccrash cart,xe2x80x9d which is generally used in hospitals or similar medical facilities to quickly and easily transport a variety of equipment and supplies in a medical emergency.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of a multi-purpose, mobile utility cart in a hospital or similar environment to quickly and easily transport equipment and supplies in a medical emergency is well known. This type of cart, commonly known as a xe2x80x9ccrash cart,xe2x80x9d is necessitated by the fact that in a medical emergency, response time is critical. Therefore, hospitals and other types of medical facilities frequently utilize a cart equipped with multiple shelves and/or storage compartments, and which is movably supported on wheels or casters, to permit quick and easy transport of medical equipment and supplies to an area where they are required.
A xe2x80x9ccrash cartxe2x80x9d is utilized to contain, support and transport a variety of medical equipment and supplies to a location, wherever they may be required. The equipment and supplies range from highly technical equipment such as, for example, heart defibrillators, electronic monitoring devices or electronic monitoring screens associated with one or more computers, to more common items including intravenous treatment supplies, respiration masks, oxygen supply tanks, syringes, bandages, and medication. The variety of equipment and supplies included on a crash cart permit medical personnel to quickly respond to common medical emergencies including, for example, a heart attack, stroke, and/or trauma, which occur with some frequency in a hospital or similar medical facility.
Although a crash cart provides a quick and easy means to transport required medical equipment and supplies in a medical emergency, there is room for concern with regard to the sanitation of the equipment and supplies included on a crash cart. First, because a crash cart is designed to be mobile throughout most, if not all, areas inside and outside of a hospital or similar facility, the equipment and supplies included on a crash cart are likely to be exposed to perhaps more than just a small amount of dust, dirt, blood, bacteria, and other potential germ sources, whereas medical equipment which is permanently stationed in an area is not as likely to be so exposed. Further, because crash carts are often stationed at locations around a hospital facility for ready access by medical personnel, they are also readily accessible to non-medical personnel who may inadvertently contaminate the equipment or supplies by handling, removing, dropping and/or replacing items on the crash cart, not to mention sneezing and/or coughing around such items. Also, due to the delicate nature of some equipment, and the hazardous nature of others, access by unauthorized personnel is generally not acceptable. Accordingly, it would be beneficial if there were an assembly or other means of ensuring that a crash cart and/or the equipment carried on one are at least reasonably sanitary. If any such assembly were developed, it would preferably be relatively simple to implement and use such that a time consuming procedure would not have to be followed for its use. Simply put, without an efficient and effective means to assure proper sanitation, the often life saving advantages of crash carts may be diminished, and possibly lost, if medical personnel are hesitant to use them due to concerns about the proper sanitation of the equipment and supplies included thereon.
It is believed that in some hospitals, it is possible to observe the placement of a tarpaulin or similar, standard type of cover over a crash cart in an attempt to protect them from dust, and possibly other contaminants, while not in use. However, these types of standard covers are typically made of an opaque material which can result in the loss of valuable time in an emergency situation as medical personnel may not readily identify the covered object as a crash cart. In addition, even if identified as a crash cart, valuable time may still be lost due to medical personnel uncovering the cart to verify that it contains the specific equipment they require in an emergency. Therefore, a need exists in this field for a cover assembly which permits medical personnel to view the crash cart without removing the cover. Moreover, it is possible that the placement of a tarpaulin or other type of standard cover on a crash cart may hamper accessibility to the equipment and supplies included on the cart in an emergency. Thus, a need also exists for a cover assembly for a crash cart which may be quickly and easily removed to allow access to equipment and supplies in a medical emergency or which readily facilitates access to such equipment in the first place.
In addition, tarpaulins and similar standard covers typically have a generally rectangular configuration which when draped over a crash cart, leaving an opening at or near the bottom only, and this presents additional problems with regard to the mobility and maintenance of the crash cart. For example, a crash cart often contains electrical equipment which requires a connection to an electrical source either for operation or maintenance of a charge on portable electronic equipment or a portable power supply. However, tarpaulins and similar standard covers are not designed to accommodate an electrical connection to the covered object. Thus, it would be desirable if any new cover assembly for a crash cart were to include an opening specifically designed to permit electrical connections to be made there through. Also, there are many crash carts which carry an electronic video display monitor and/or computer associated therewith, either or all of which usually needs to be accessed daily to perform diagnostic tests on the equipment included on the cart. As such, it would be preferable to provide a cover assembly for a crash cart which permits access to the electronic display monitor and/or computer without uncovering the entire crash cart.
In addition, the use of tarpaulins and similar standard types of covers may hamper the ability of medical personnel to properly grip the handles provided on many crash carts, as necessitated during its being transported to the location of an emergency, without at least partially removing the cover. As noted above, however, the movement of a crash cart though the hospital, or similar facility, is one of the sources of potential contamination to the equipment and supplies included on the crash cart. Thus, it would also be desirable to provide a cover assembly for a crash cart which allows access to the handles without removal of the cover.
Accordingly, there remains a need in this field of art for a cover assembly to be used with a xe2x80x9ccrash cartxe2x80x9d or similar type of utility cart, which can be, but does not have to be, quickly and easily removed, and further, which allows the equipment and supplies included on the cart to be viewed, while the cover assembly remains in place over the cart. If any such cover assembly were developed, it would be beneficial to permit easy access to and operation of an electronic video display monitor carried on the crash cart, including any computer associated therewith, and an interconnection to an external power supply, while the cover remains in place over the cart. Any such cover assembly would preferably also be structured to readily permit accessibility to the handles of the cart while the cover remains in place over the cart in order that these may be gripped directly for facilitating the cart""s being transported within a hospital to the site needed in an emergency, and further, to permit quick and easy adjustment to assure a proper fit of the cover over the equipment and supplies included on the crash cart.
The present invention is intended to address these and other needs which remain in the art and is directed to a cover assembly for multi-purpose, mobile, utility carts, and in particular, to carts commonly known as xe2x80x9ccrash carts,xe2x80x9d which are often used in hospitals to resuscitate a heart attack victim, among other uses. Crash carts are intended to provide a quick and easy means to transport equipment and supplies throughout a hospital or similar medical type of facility, and given their mobility and need to be instantly accessible, are more apt to come in contact with dust, bacteria and other germs.
The cover assembly of the present invention includes a cover having a main body portion and an adjustable portion, and in one embodiment, a monitor portion as well. The cover assembly is further structured and disposed so that it is position able in an overlying relationship with the crash cart, at least partially defined by the cover surrounding the top, front, rear, and sides of the crash cart. The cover is preferably at least partially constructed of a clear, flexible, tear and puncture resistant material so that the equipment and supplies on the cart are visually observable while the cart is covered, and has sufficient flexibility so as to be easily adjustable to accommodate the various combinations of equipment and supplies typically included on a crash cart. One preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a heavy gauge, clear, vinyl or plastic, although its construction is not limited to this type of material.
The cover assembly of the present invention further comprises at least one, but preferably a plurality of release apertures. The release apertures are preferably structured to extend in a generally vertical orientation originating at the bottom of the main body portion along a substantial section of its height, although could be structured differently. In the preferred embodiment, each release aperture is disposed in a normally closed orientation, and is retained in a closed orientation by at least one release fastener, when the fastener is engaged. The release fastener may comprise, by way of example only, a hook and loop fastener, button, snap, zipper, ties or other standard fastener. The release fasteners are ideally structured to allow the release aperture to be quickly and easily disposed into an open orientation to permit quick and easy removal of the cover from the crash cart when required in an emergency.
As described above, in one embodiment of the present invention the cover assembly includes a monitor portion to accommodate a video display monitor carried on the crash cart, and in this embodiment, the assembly preferably includes a release aperture in the nature of a monitor aperture that is cooperatively engaged with the monitor portion of the cover assembly, wherein the monitor aperture is normally disposed in a closed orientation by a monitor fastener. The monitor fastener may comprise any of the standard fasteners previously disclosed. The monitor aperture is designed to allow medical personnel to access and/or operate an electronic display monitor, without removing the cover from the crash cart.
In addition, the cover assembly of the present invention preferably includes a release aperture in the nature of at least one, but preferably a plurality of handle apertures. Each handle aperture is designed to permit a handle of the crash cart to extend through the cover while the cover is in an overlying relationship with the crash cart. The handle apertures are further structured to fit snug against or about the handles to minimize the accessibility for potential contaminants to reach the crash cart or items carried thereon.
The cover assembly of the present invention preferably also includes a release aperture in the nature of at least one electrical aperture which is disposed in a normally closed orientation by at least one electrical fastener. The electrical fastener may also comprise any of the standard fasteners previously disclosed. The electrical aperture is structured to permit a connection to an external electrical outlet from the equipment on the crash cart while the cover remains in place over the crash cart. In addition, the electrical aperture facilitates the electrical connection which is needed in order for diagnostic equipment tests, many of which require connection to an external power supply, to be performed while the cover remains disposed in an overlying relationship with the crash cart.
There are a number of different combinations of equipment and supplies which may be included on a crash cart, depending on its specific intended use, and, therefore, crash carts may vary in dimension from one to another. The cover assembly of the present invention may accordingly vary; larger or smaller dimensions may be provided. However, a proper or relatively snug fit between the cover assembly and the crash cart on which it is used should ideally be maintained to minimize air circulation inside the cover so as to minimize the potential for contamination of the equipment and supplies. To that end, the cover assembly of the present invention ideally also includes at least one adjustable portion, but preferably two adjustable portions. The at least one adjustable portion of this embodiment further comprises at least one retaining member structured and disposed to retain the adjustable portion in an at least partially collapsed orientation when operatively engaged.
The cover assembly of the present invention ideally also includes at least one pouch disposed on an exterior surface thereof. In one preferred embodiment, the pouch is sized to contain a standard medical chart. The pouch may include a flap, which may be secured with a pouch fastener. The pouch fastener may comprise any one of the standard fasteners previously disclosed above. The at least one pouch may instead be utilized to contain information about the equipment and supplies included on the cart or a separate pouch may be provided on the cover assembly for this purpose. This information may include, for example, an inventory of equipment and supplies, a log of diagnostic equipment tests required and/or performed, routine maintenance, supply restocking dates, or any other information deemed necessary by medical personnel.